The present invention relates generally to inserts for cup-holders and particularly to an insert configured to provide a cup-holder with at least one additional receptacle for receiving food and the like.
Cup-holders are popularly employed in vehicles such as cars, boats, as well as attached to seats in stadiums, auditoriums and so forth. Such holders may be built-in or integral with a support structure or may be structured to hang on the window of a car, for example. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,072,909 to Huang, for instance.
Cup-holders are typically configured to receive a generally cylindrical or frustoconical cup or glass. There is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,099,062 to Siegal a cup-holder insert with a cylindrical bottom and a square top cavity. When inserted into a conventional cup-holder, the cup-holder then becomes suitable for supporting a square beverage carton. Oftentimes, consumables other than a beverage such as French fries, sandwiches and so forth are purchased and/or consumed contemporaneously with the beverage. The present invention transforms an ordinary cup-holder into a multi-cavity tray for conveniently receiving a cup and multiple food items.
The present invention provides a cup-holder insert which makes an ordinary automobile cup-holder, for example, suitable for holding a cup as well as a snack, such as french fries and in some embodiments a combo meal including a drink, french fries and a sandwich such as a hamburger. There is provided in accordance with the present invention a cup-holder insert including: a) a support member of generally circular cross-section configured to be disposed in a cup-holder and reside vertically in the cup-holder when placed therein and which defines a first cavity adapted to receive a cup; b) at least a first laterally projecting food receptacle food portion which projects laterally from said support member when the insert is placed in the cup-holder, the first laterally projecting food receptacle portion defining a second cavity adapted to receive victuals.
In a preferred embodiment, the cup-holder insert includes a second laterally projecting food receptacle portion defining a third cavity for receiving victuals; as would be used, for example, to accommodate a combo meal including a drink, french fries and a sandwich on a bun. The cup-holder insert of the present invention is typically integrally formed of a plastic material by way of deep-draw thermoforming, for example. Other modes of making the inventive cup-holder may be employed; for example, injection molding, injection blow-molding and the like. A particularly preferred plastic material is high impact polystyrene; however, other plastics, such as polycarbonates, polyesters, polyethylenes, polypropylenes, and the like could be employed if so desired.
The cup-holder insert of the present invention generally has a wall caliper from about 10 to about 100 mils (thousandths of an inch). Up to about 50 mils may be typical as is from about 10 to about 30 mils in wall thickness. A thinner or thicker wall may be used or, for example, additional strength may be provided by utilizing a ribbed construction.
In a typical embodiment a laterally projecting food receptacle portion has a generally rectangular cross section with four opposing sidewalls segments with a length of from about 3 to about 4.5 inches and a width from about 1xc2xe to about 2xc2xe inches. A length of about 3xc2xd inches and a width of about 2xc2xc inches is typical. The bottom of the generally rectangular food receptacle portion is typically flat such that the receptacle is suitable to receive french fries in a box or a rectangular bag, for example. The generally rectangular food receptacle portion may have a pair of curved opposed sidewall segments about its length and most typically the opposing wall segments are upwardly and outwardly inclined with respect to the flat bottom as shown in the drawings appended hereto.
The cup-holder insert according to the present invention may have a laterally projecting food receptacle portion which defines an upwardly concave substantially hemicylindrical cavity with an arcuate bottom which would be suitable to accommodate a sandwich on a round sandwich bun, for example, a hamburger or other sandwich on a round roll. The hemicylindrical cavity typically has a width of from about 1 to about 4 inches, most preferably with a width of from about 1.5 inches to about 3 inches. In some embodiments the cylindrical axis of the hemicylindrical cavity is substantially coextensive with a line bisecting the mouth of the first (cup receiving) cavity. The arcuate bottom of the hemicylindrical cavity has a radius of curvature generally of from about 1xc2xe inches to about 2xc2xe inches. A radius of curvature of about 2xc2xc inches is typical for the arcuate bottom.
The cup receiving cavity may be truncated, that is, have an open bottom so that it will rest stably on a surface such as a flat surface, if and when the cup-holder insert is used independently of a cup-holder.
In a typical embodiment the top of the food receptacle cavity is substantially coplanar with the top of the cavity adapted to receive the drinking cup. In cases where three or more cavities are provided, it is particularly preferred to have the tops of all three cavities substantially coplanar with each other, typically at an elevation above the cup-holder in which the insert is placed.
A particularly preferred embodiment includes: a) a support member configured to be disposed in a cup-holder having a first segmented frustoconical sidewall including a lower frustoconical section, a transitional frustoconical section and an upper frustoconical section, wherein the upper frusto-conical section projects upwardly with respect to the cup-holder when placed therein, the first sidewall defining a first cavity adapted to receive a beverage cup. The insert further includes at least a first laterally projecting food receptacle portion which projects laterally from the upper frustoconical section typically at an elevation above the cup-holder when the insert is placed therein, the first laterally projecting food receptacle portion having a second sidewall defining a second cavity adapted to receive victuals.
Most preferably, the inventive cup-holder insert will rest in a cup-holder such that the transitional frustoconical section is seated therein. In some embodiments it may be preferred to have the bottom portions of the food receptacles to extend below the transitional frustoconical section in order to promote stability, particularly wherein the inventive insert is used without a cup-holder on a flat surface, for instance. As noted, in such cases an open bottom on the central cylindrical cavity is sometimes preferred.
In one embodiment there is provided a cup-holder insert including: a) a support member of generally circular cross-section configured to be disposed in a cup-holder and to reside vertically in the cup-holder as well as to define a first cavity adapted to receive a cup; b) at least a first laterally projecting food receptacle portion thereof which projects laterally from the support member, the first laterally projecting food receptacle portion defining a second cavity adapted to receive victuals; and c) at least a second laterally projecting food receptacle portion thereof which projects laterally from the support member, the second laterally projecting food receptacle portion defining a third cavity for receiving victuals and further wherein the second laterally projecting food receptacle portion is disposed opposite the first laterally projecting food receptacle portion. Most preferably, the first laterally projecting food receptacle portion has a generally rectangular cross-section with four opposing sidewall segments configured such that the minor axis of the second cavity is substantially coextensive with a line bisecting the mouth of the first cavity and has a length of from about 1xc2xe to about 2xc2xe inches the first cavity being provided with a substantially flat bottom as well as a major axis of from about 3 inches to 4.5 inches and wherein further the second laterally projecting food receptacle portion defines an upwardly concave substantially hemicylindrical cavity provided with an arcuate bottom. It should be appreciated from the Figures that a line bisecting the mouth of the central (cup-receiving) cavity of the insert may also be described as a line perpendicular to the cylindrical axis of the central cavity.
In still yet another embodiment, there is provided a cup-holder insert with a support member of generally circular cross section configured to be disposed in a cup-holder and reside vertically in the cup-holder when placed therein and which defines a first cavity adapted to receive a cup; at least a first laterally projecting food receptacle portion which projects laterally from the support member when the insert is placed in the cup holder, the first laterally projecting food receptacle portion defining a second cavity adapted to receive victuals; and at least a second laterally projecting food receptacle portion thereof which projects laterally from the support member when the insert is placed in said cup-holder, the second laterally projecting food receptacle portion defining a third cavity for receiving victuals, wherein the third cavity is angularly offset with respect to said second cavity at an angle of from about 60 degrees to about 140 degrees. Typically, the cup-holder insert here again has a first laterally projecting food receptacle portion provided with a generally rectangular cross-section with four opposing sidewall segments configured such that the minor axis of said second cavity is substantially coextensive with a line bisecting the mouth of said first cavity and has a length of form about 1xc2xe inches to about 3 inches, the first cavity being provided with a substantially flat bottom, as well as a major axis of from about 3 inches to about 4.5 inches; and the second laterally projecting food receptacle portion defines an upwardly concave substantially hemicylindrical cavity provided with an arcuate bottom.
In some embodiments, the third cavity is angularly offset with respect to said second cavity at an angle of from about 60 degrees to about 100 degrees, with from about 70 degrees to about 90 degrees being typical.
If so desired, there may be provided a third laterally projecting portion defining a fourth cavity disposed between the second and third cavities, in which cases the third cavity is angularly offset with respect to said second cavity at an angle of from about 100 degrees to about 140 degrees, with an angle of from about 110 degrees to about 130 degrees being typical. The fourth cavity is advantageously sized to receive a small cup which is used for ketchup or other sauces and thus has a depth of from about 0.5 to about 1 inch and may be generally cylindrical with a diameter from about 1.5 to about 2.5 inches.
The various features and advantages of the present invention will become better understood from the attached drawings and the following detailed description.